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St. Thomas Church of Flagler County A member of the worldwide Anglican communion and a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida A Place Where Faith is Taken Seriously . Rector’s Reflection Here I am to Worship by the Rev. Canon Bob Goolsby Any time an Episcopal parish does vision work to assess its purpose, values and goals, the area of “worship and liturgy” is invariably found at the top of the list. As Episcopalians we treasure our worship and liturgy. As author and priest Dennis Michno writes, “Liturgy celebrates the mystery that is God.” We relish that we can For this and for countless other reasons, we as Episcopalians, part of go anywhere in the world and participate in Anglican God’s one holy catholic and apostolic Church, regard our liturgy fondly. worship, regardless of language, and feel at home in the And we should. Our liturgy is also considered to be Divine Worship. The liturgy. When Karla and I were on our European cruise, interesting thing I learned about grand, soaring, cathedrals is that they are one of the cities we visited was Cologne (Köln), designed to give us an image of reaching up to heaven from earth. If you Germany. It happened to be a Sunday morning when we ever visit one of these places, notice how both the exterior and interior visited the Roman Catholic Cologne Cathedral and we designs pull your eyes upward. As a matter of fact, liturgical worship walked in (as tourists) as Mass began. Of course, it was does this for our hearts and souls: Divine Liturgy pulls our hearts, minds all spoken in German, but I knew the pattern of the litur- and souls upward. Listen to the portion of the Eucharistic Prayer we hear gy; when the readings were being read, when the psalm each week: “Lift up your hearts”, “We lift them up to the Lord.” This is was being read responsively, listening to the grand Alle- called the “Sursum Corda”, Latin for lift our hearts. luia hymn before the proclamation of the Gospel. All was familiar to me and I felt like we went to church! Indeed, Michno continues his teaching, “By its nature liturgy is ordered worship. we did. As creation is ordered in the perfection that is God, so also the response must be ordered.” This struck near and dear to me. I have a deep appreciation for our liturgies. Within that deep appreciation, I desire for myself and others to have reverence and dignity as we worship together. This includes moments of silence in the service as well as before the service to center ourselves and to be present with God. Michno writes, “Silence is an integral part of liturgical worship, for it affords us the opportunity to reflect, to think, to pray, to offer personal petition and praise, and above all, to be in the presence of God.” Continued on page 3 Children & Youth Birthdays and Church Calendar Page 6 Anniversaries Page 15 Page 14 PAGE 1 | THE TIDINGS | NOVEMBER 2019 INSIDE ST. THOMAS Dolly Bordinger The Reverend Robert P. Goolsby Parish Administrator Rector Ext. 201 Ext. 203 [email protected] [email protected] Deborah Snedeker The Reverend Dr. David J. Weidner Business Manager Associate Priest for Christian Formation Ext. 202 [email protected] [email protected] The Reverend Horace S. Johnson Assisting Priest Carole Fuqua-Heller Organist / Choir Director Tiffany Smith, Director of Youth & Family The Reverend Pastor Al Stefanik Ministries Assisting Priest [email protected] The Reverend Ronald Manning Priest Emeritus PAGE 2 | THE TIDINGS | NOVEMBER 2019 Worship Times and Services Continued from page 1 Sundays Some of the areas in the liturgy where silence is desirable are: 8:00 a.m. Rite I Holy Eucharist After the words, “Let us pray.” After the reading of scripture (rotating readers helps with this, pausing 9:15 a.m. Rite II Holy Eucharist between readings) Renewal and Contemporary music with Before the Confession piano, guitars, flute, congas and voices. Between each petition in the Prayers of the People And at other times suitable to your own needs in worship 11:00 a.m. Rite II Holy Eucharist Now here are some items that are particular for me regarding Sunday worship: with Organ Music from the Hymnal 1982, Sundays are a time for worship and fellowship. Period. I do not like to Lift Every Voice and Sing 2. conduct the “business” of the church on Sundays (only under extreme and rare circumstances). The old joke comes to mind about the member who stops the priest during the procession to inform him/her of the leaky toilet 9:15 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Services offer (this actually has happened to me!). Intercessory Prayer for those who Silence is Golden! It is customary, and might I say, ‘meet and right so to request prayers for healing. do’ to have silence before worship. We come to church for so many different reasons, but chiefly we come to be in God’s presence and pray. Please allow others their silence as they prepare for worship. It may sound a little awkward, but I have heard it said, “every Sunday is Wednesdays Super Bowl Sunday”, meaning that Sundays are not just any other day. They are the most important day of the week! It is the most important gathering of the week! Each Sunday we should put our best efforts forward when we serve 11:30 a.m. Litany Healing at the altar, serve as ushers, prepare for reading scripture, and perhaps most and Holy Eucharist importantly to greet guests and visitors intentionally and courteously. Have fun. None of the preceding notes are mutually exclusive to enjoying Sunday. Sundays, by liturgical definition, are celebrations. They are days for worship, fellowship and celebration. We celebrate that we are alive in Christ and redeemed and unconditionally loved by him. As Dennis Michno reminds, “In liturgy we celebrate the mystery that is God. Cel- ebration is joyfully recalling, reenacting, and sharing in the liturgy which seeks the perfection that is God and the glory that is the Kingdom of God.” God bless you and keep you. See you in church. During times of illness, hospitalization, or life crisis, please call : Bob+ Church Office - 386-446-2300 For Intercessory Prayer: Yvonne Kendrick - 386-445-9969 To be added to the prayer list: Dolly Bordinger - 445-6875 or Barbara Lawson - 517-1695 FLOWERS ON THE ALTAR Altar flowers given in memory or in honor of loved ones are $25.00. You can contact the office 446-2300 or via email: [email protected] or contact Dolly Bordinger 445-6875 PAGE 3 | THE TIDINGS | NOVEMBER 2019 SENIOR WARDEN’S MESSAGE The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:11 Undoubtedly, there are various seasons in life; seasons of joy and discouragement, seasons of more and less, seasons of believing and doubt. Seasons can be so challenging. Bravery, obedience, dedication and sometimes even a total upheaval of everything comfortable in our lives. At times, the season of busyness, sadness, exhaustion, and commitments may seem so overwhelming. The season of change is felt in our hearts. God is preparing us for something different – a change in those seasons of life. Be Brave. God will not move you into something without giving us the grace needed to make it through. As we change our clocks this month, honor our Veterans, then celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family and on the following weekend and step into Advent season on December 1st. Can you believe it? Please watch your bulletins, Tidings and announcements so you won’t miss out on anything happening at St. Thomas! There are so many opportunities to help our church and community this fall. Your time, support and talents are much needed. Think you don’t have much to offer? What about calling a friend or a family member you haven’t talked with in a while, write a simple note of thanks, support or encouragement. Sharing cheerfulness, kindness and love costs nothing. You and the person you reach out to will be touched. Caring is such a priceless gift. When we can’t see clearly where we are going, it is not simply about turning on a light. Pray for wise choices and God’s eternal light. Where do you go to find peace...a certain place or a specific person? No matter where we are, where we are going, and whatever we might be experiencing, God’s peace is so much greater. Hold me, God, so I can hear you whisper to me, “You don't have to know the way. I do”. Bonnie Gray Continued Peace. Cindy Mitchell Senior Warden PAGE 4 | THE TIDINGS | NOVEMBER 2019 NURSE ’S CORNER INFLUENZA UPDATE 2019 - 2020 Persons who are at risk for Influenza, and the complications of Influenza, include adults age 65 years and older; young children; pregnant women; persons with Asthma and other Chronic Respiratory illnesses; Heart Disease; Diabetes; HIV/AIDS; and Cancer. The earlier you are able to receive the Flu Vaccine, the better it will be to improve your resistance to getting this seasonal virus. Some parts of the USA have earlier Flu Season than other areas. Vaccine season usually begins in the Fall. The Flu shot has been available since the beginning of September in most states. Most of the stores that include a Pharmacy, usually receive the Flu vaccine for their onsite administration, before most Medical Offices. Also these stores carry the High dose Flu shots that some seniors request. Not all Medical Offices receive the High dose vaccine, many of these offices provide the "regular" dose only.

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